The NATO Response Force: A qualified failure no more?

With much fanfare, NATO declared its rapid reaction force—the NATO Response Force (NRF)—an Initial Operational Capability in 2004. This article addresses four questions: Where did the NRF come from? What does it look like in 2017? What have been the major obstacles for the NRF fulfilling its promises? And where is the NRF likely to go? The article holds two main arguments. First, due to inadequate fill-rates and disagreements as to the force’s operational role, the NRF was for many years a “qualified failure.” The force failed to become the operational tool envisioned by the allies in 2002. While not without effect, it fell hostage to the harsh reality of the expeditionary wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Second, the NRF is off to a fresh beginning and will likely be considered at least a partial success by the allies in the years to come.     

混合气体识别的响应等效性与瞬态信号正交分解模型

针对目前混合气体识别大多采用传感器稳态响应信号、基于线性混合假设或大量样本学习,而瞬态响应信号特征分析主要应用非正交分解的问题,提出一种基于响应等效性与瞬态信号正交分解的混合气体识别模型。分析金属氧化物半导体传感器对混合气体的响应特性,建立基于气体响应成分等效性假设的气体非线性混合模型,在此基础上,提出并应用一种新的正交基函数——扩展类Legendre正交基,对气体传感器瞬态响应信号进行分解;通过对正交分解系数与气体浓度的回归分析,验证二者之间的指数型关联关系,并以正交分解系数为特征参数,利用气体非线性等效混合模型对混合气体分解与辨识。实验结果表明,尽管这种混合气体识别模型仅用单一气体检测的先验知识,对混合气体的识别误差仍可达到15%以内。     

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development's Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN) 2012–2019 Strategy Framework has proposed that the CEWARN mechanism expand its conflict typologies and geographic coverage. The argument advanced in this paper is that the proposed CEWARN expansion should be welcomed. Since its establishment in 2003, CEWARN had restricted itself to dealing with cross-border pastoral conflicts among the member states. However, conceptually and legally, CEWARN was not precluded from dealing with other types of conflict. Firstly, in the past, any conflict, other than cross-border pastoral ones, had been considered by the member states as firmly within their national jurisdiction that mechanisms like CEWARN are precluded from handling. Secondly, CEWARN, which has hitherto been dependent on external donations, just does not have the requisite financial resources to expand its coverage. Thirdly, and most importantly, governments often know the imminence of some, if not all, of the conflicts because they cause them. Thus, they are not interested in reacting to them. In the end, the paper concludes that the proposal to expand CEWARN's conflict portfolio and geographic spread may just remain that – a proposal.     

核动力装置主系统对蒸汽发生器给水流量的动态响应

本文把集总参数法用于堆芯、一回路和二回路,导出了主系统对蒸汽发生器给水流量丧失的动态方程组及其解析解,非常适用于运行监督性快速计算。     

Multinational rapid response mechanisms: Past promises and future prospects

Military rapid response mechanisms are generally understood as troops that are on standby, ready to be deployed to a crisis within a short time frame. Yet, the overall track record of the existing multinational rapid response mechanisms within the European Union, the African Union, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization remains disappointing, and the United Nations does not even have a rapidly deployable capacity anymore. Meanwhile, despite that calls for the further development of these mechanisms are still being voiced politically, scholarly literature remains fragmented. This is problematic as many of the obstacles faced by these organizations are similar. This forum uniquely compares experiences from the four aforementioned organizations. Drawing on these insights, this introductory article identifies some key factors that hamper or enable the development and deployment of multinational rapid response mechanisms.